Mind Over Matter
by EnsignAbby
Summary: Post-Movie. Megamind finds a new use for the Illiteracy Beam, and with the help of Roxanne, seeks to change the medical world. But married life and other threats seem to get in the way. Chapter FIVE is up!
1. Chapter 1

Mind Over Matter – Chapter 1

By Abby

Chapter Rating: PG

Summary: Post-Movie. Megamind and Roxanne adjust to the challenges of married life, facing other threats along the way.

_Notes: This will be the first chapter in a series, and I am really excited about what you all think. The summary is a little vague, but I will adjust it as the story moves on. As always, feel free to leave reviews, be they positive, critical, or otherwise. Many thanks to avaaricious/avarice for volunteering to beta for me! *hugs*_

-M- -m- -M-

"What are you doing, woman?"

Megamind hopped from foot to foot in an anxious manner, obviously distressed by what Roxanne was doing. For her part, Roxanne looked over at him with exasperation.

"This is the last time I let you into the kitchen with me, I swear." She put the glass container on the counter and started to unscrew the lid. "All I want to do is add some garlic to the sauce. No need to get all worked up over it."

"But it doesn't _say _to add garlic! We have to stick to the plan!" He pointed to the recipe with emphasis, and Roxanne shook her head. Megamind was obviously approaching this whole cooking thing in the same manner that he approached any other project; with painstaking attention to detail. Cooking became chemistry, and any type of deviation from the formula spelled disaster. She wondered if he had the notion that the meal would blow up in a horrifying mess like an experiment gone wrong if she took any liberties with the ingredients.

A night like this wasn't a normal occurrence. Roxanne had convinced Minion to take the night off from dinner duty. She'd sent the fish out on a _very _long patrol of the city in the invisible car, and coaxed her husband into the kitchen in the hopes that they would bond over the making of a romantic meal. Having only been married for seven months, she still had a lot to learn about the blue alien's living habits, and she was trying to take them in stride as much as she could. Really, most of the time Roxanne was simply amused by his odd mannerisms rather than annoyed by them.

With the salmon finishing off in the oven, and the asparagus grilled and set aside to rest, she was currently working on the final touch; a lemon-dill sauce. She pulled a teaspoon out of the drawer and made a face at Megamind's horrified expression as she doled out a small measure of garlic powder into the sauce. "Calm down. It'll taste better, I promise." He looked at her with suspicion. "I tell you what. You can set the table and I will join you in a moment."

Megamind took another second to eye the bastardized sauce and nodded in agreement. She felt that it was better for him to remove himself now before he upset himself further, imagining all the times Minion possibly went off-recipe without him knowing it. Megamind pulled open a cupboard and removed the plates, hurrying out of the kitchen.

In order to reach the dining area, Megamind passed through the door and was suddenly crossing a vast expanse of the lair. As life with Roxie progressed, the need for normal living quarters increased, and he and Minion were slowly cornering off a section of the old warehouse and adding rooms. The framework for the soon-to-be hallways was erected, but there was yet to be any drywall. Looking up, he could see the metal girders holding up the enormous roof and thought idly that it would be a rather odd thing indeed for someone from the outside to enter to see their completed house within the larger building. But this was the best he could do at the moment. He didn't feel quite comfortable enough with living in a public dwelling, what with him being who he was. Any house of theirs on a tree-lined street would be destined to become a target for anyone wanting to seek revenge on the hero of Metro City.

Entering the dining room, he set the plates on the round table. A brain bot was already present, hovering with a humming noise over the lacquered wood, lighting the candles with the igniter on the tip of its spindly limb. Megamind patted its dome in appreciation, smiling as the electricity under the glass arced up to meet his fingers. He then tapped it on the side in an unspoken order to leave the area, and it floated off with a farewell _bowg_. He returned to the kitchen just in time to see Roxanne picking up their completed plates, so he joined her on the journey to the dining room, carrying two pieces of stemware and a bottle of wine.

Half an hour later, he had already consumed his fish, utterly convinced that Roxanne's venture with the garlic powder was a success. She seemed amused by his enthusiasm, stopping in her meal to take a sip of the Riesling. "I told you that it would work out. I may not be a gourmet chef, but I know my way around the spice rack, at least." She reached up and pushed her hair out of her eyes and regarded Megamind from across the table, appreciating how the candlelight cast shadows and sharpened his features. The glow made his skin appear almost cyan, reminiscent of tropical seas. "Do you have any business to attend to tomorrow?" She asked, hoping they'd have some downtime tomorrow together.

He shook his head, still chewing on the remains of his meal. It was a particularly peaceful time currently in the city, and in the last few weeks nothing had come up that the Metro City police couldn't handle. He and Minion had been using the spare time to work on the framework of the house and also to clean out the far-reaches of the lair. It felt nice to work on unimportant things, take some time to relax and clear his head. Megamind watched his wife as she traced her fingers over the condensation on her glass. He was momentarily transfixed, but shook his head when he remembered that he had some news to share. "Oh!" he exclaimed, his mouth still full of food. Roxanne cringed at the sight, and he remembered his manners and swallowed. "I have another name to try out on you."

Roxanne's interest was piqued. For a while now, Megamind had been bent on finding a name for himself. Not there was anything wrong with the name Megamind, he claimed. After all, it _was _an accurate description of his staggering intellect. But he had come to realize that now that he had an existence outside of the hero-work, it would be nice to hang up the Megamind name like the proverbial jacket-at-the-door when he when he stepped out of costume and into his newly-acquired domestic life. She leaned forward over the table, indicating that he had her attention. "Okay, then. Let me have it."

Megamind paused for dramatic effect. "_Yoo-Jean,_" he said in a low tone, underlining the invisible name with his hands as if it were floating in the air right in front of him.

She tried not to flinch. "Eugene?" She repeated, pretending to be concerned with a piece of lint on her brand new pink silk blouse in order to hide her look of incredulity. Finally, she decided to take the name as seriously as possible and looked back up to face her husband, who was waiting with bated breath. "Hmm…" she pondered. "Eugene…" Roxanne tried the name out once before saying it again in a markedly different tone; smooth and sultry. "_Eugene." _And then once more, in what appeared to be barely concealed ecstasy. "_Eugene_!" When Megamind's black eyebrow raised in question, she dead-panned and shook her head, going back to her meal. "Nope. That name won't work."

Megamind seemed disappointed. "And why not?" He had put a lot of thought into this month's selection.

She shrugged her shoulders. "Well," she began, trying to find a way to put it delicately, "I would sound a bit silly screaming out 'Eugene!' in bed, don't you think?" Seeing him blushing purple at her words, Roxanne smirked. "Not the sexiest name in the world." She reached across the table and patted his hand in apology.

The alien seemed a little put out at first, but recovered with amazing grace, bouncing back to his usual bright demeanor. "Back to the drawing board, I guess." He picked up his fork again and dug into the rest of his food. "I want to make sure I pick something out that sits well on the tongue of my lovely lady, don't I?" He flashed a toothy grin at her.

She fluttered her eyelashes at him under the veil of her lengthening bangs, getting caught up in the silly mood. "Why, thank you, my handsome blue man." She took a bite of her asparagus and let her fork linger on her lips, chewing on the tines in a seductive manner.

Megamind felt compelled to finish their meal right then and there, but was loathe to waste the food that they spent a lot of time preparing, and so began to eat with a renewed gusto.

He intended to contact Minion to tell him not to bother coming back from his patrol until a very late hour, indeed. As for Megamind, he was cooking up a plan that included him, his blushing bride, and their bedroom. A plan he didn't want interrupted.

-m- -M- -m-

-Continued in Chapter 2-


	2. Chapter 2

Mind Over Matter - Chapter 2

_Rating: G_

_Summary: A day of spring cleaning yields an exciting discovery._

_Notes: Chapter two is here, and it brings with it general fluff and technobabble. Thanks Avaaricious for your useful insight! To everyone else: Enjoy!_

-M- -M- -M-

Cleaning out the lair was taking far longer than Megamind expected. What was supposed to only take a couple days was turning into a week-long extravaganza. He was seriously impressed by his own hoarding capabilities. Good thing all was quiet on the crime-fighting scene, otherwise the constant interruptions would have hampered his attempts to decipher his old notes and reorganize and dispose of old materials as needed. He was looking at one such old note, hastily scribbled on a piece of newspaper, when he heard a knock. Roxanne was at the entrance to his work area, two cups of coffee in hand.

"I made some extra for you, if you needed more." She walked over and replaced the empty mug that Megamind had set aside on a deactivated console.

He smiled in appreciation. "There's always room for more coffee." He turned his attention back to the scrap of paper in hand, flipping it over to see if there was anything on the opposite side that would yield any clues as to what it was for.

Roxie gestured toward it, settling herself in a chair nearby. "What's that you've got there?" She could see that her husband was currently rooting around in a cardboard box full of mismatched papers, not unlike the kind that she once assembled in her apartment in her attempt to unravel Megamind's plot to create a new hero. She could even see strings still attached to some of them as the blue alien pulled them out piece by piece.

"Old plans." He shuffled through them, his prominent brow furrowed. "Minion must have thrown them into this box after one of my evil plans failed and I was being carted back to prison for one of my many life-sentences." He handed a couple of sheets to Roxanne to show her what he was talking about while he continued to dig deeper into the box.

His wife held up an old crumpled carbon copy of an acquisition form, trying to determine what the blueprint on the back was written in. "Is this... jelly?" It was royal red and sticky to the touch.

A hand snatched the blueprint out of her grip, and Megamind held the paper up to his mouth and licked it. He thought for a second. "Jam," he decided, "Strawberry jam." The paper was handed back to her.

Shaking her head in amusement, Roxanne watched as he pulled the entire pile of notes out of the box in an agitated fashion, spreading them out on the floor to get a better look at them. "Hmm." His voice was low, lost in thought.

"Hmm, what?" Perhaps she could help her significant other.

Megamind looked over at her, holding up the piece of newspaper. "I'm trying to figure out what 1.47 means."

The writing wasn't the clearest, and Roxanne squinted at it, trying to see if the numbers rang a bell with her. "Are you sure that's even a point?" she suggested.

Rolling his eyes, Megamind threw the piece of paper into another cardboard box serving as his 'sort through later' bin. "I have no idea. It all makes sense when I initially write it and it's incorporated into my idea wall." A wave of the hand indicated the current collage hanging in the lair. It was seemingly a cacophony of colorful chaos, but Roxanne knew there was an undercurrent of logic to it. "I really need to find a better filing system," lamented the hero.

"Did you ever consider putting your ideas in digital format?" she asked casually while sifting through various drawings, appreciating the details that were so minute and meticulous. His response that involved some explanation about how his brainstorm sessions worked faded to the background when a particular blueprint caught her attention. "Honey, what's the illiteracy beam?" The notes that accompanied the sketch weren't making any sense to her, and the name for the device was intriguing.

"What?" Roxanne's change of subject momentarily caught Megamind off guard, but when he saw what she was pointing to, his eyes brightened. "Ah, the illiteracy beam! Yes! It was on the list for my next big evil plan before, you know…" There was no need to explain, and he sidestepped the subject. "Shame, really. It would have been my piece of resistance." He caressed the page with obvious fondness.

She was certain he meant _pièce de résistance_, and opened her mouth to say so, but decided against it. "How do you go about making people illiterate, anyway? Sounds complicated."

"Oh, it is." He smirked at her, pride behind his words. She leaned forward, waiting to hear the explanation. He was about to indulge her when the sound of mechanized limbs floated around the corner, followed closely by Minion, carrying a grocery bag full of various sugary things. "There you are, Minion!"

The fish bobbed in his illuminated tank that served for the robotic body's head. "I'm sorry that I took longer than expected, sir, but I had to head to the Super Mart on the other side of the expressway to find what you asked for." He removed a small package from the paper sack and handed it over to his ward, who took the proffered item greedily.

"MoonPies!" Megamind exclaimed, ripping open the plastic cover and biting into the marshmallow-y treat with fervor, offering a bite to Roxanne, who shook her head. "But it's banana flavor…" He cooed, as if he were coaxing a toddler with a spoonful of mush. When she didn't budge, he shrugged and proceeded to cram the rest of it in his mouth. "Min-yom," he mumbled through the food, finally swallowing and wiping the crumbs from his fingers, "Roxanne just asked me about the illiteracy beam."

Minion set the grocery bag down next to the now-cooling cup of coffee. "Yes, I remember that plan. I even started on the prototype for you, sir, if you remember." A number of discarded devices that he had worked on lay in a storage room at the far end of the warehouse. The guardian never liked to throw anything away prematurely, just in case Megamind suddenly had need of it. Minion hurried off in the direction of this room, eager to retrieve the piece of machinery in question.

Megamind explained the technicals while Roxie and he waited for Minion to return. "It's easy enough to target and destroy the Wernicke's area, which is responsible for language and text comprehension." He lifted a finger and tapped Roxanne on the back of her head, indicating the section of the brain he was referring to. "But that would have been entirely inconvenient. The Wernicke's area also is responsible for speech comprehension, and if I had employed such a method and goodness forbid, the device malfunctioned to affect a broad area of the population, it would be nearly impossible to reverse the damage and I would have to be content ruling a city full of frustrated babblers."

Roxanne laughed lightly at the image of a modern-day Tower of Babel, Megamind in the middle of all of the confusion. Megamind continued, "I had to find a way to alter the brain to cause illiteracy, but not damage the speech. I also had to find a way to reverse it, just in case Metro Man interfered in such a way that _I_ got caught in the crossbeam, which, as you know, was very likely." He grimaced at some old memory of a thwarted plan that had gone particularly wrong.

This is a roundabout way of achieving the goal," he added, gesturing to an illustration on his blueprint. "Pattern and symbol recognition. Your brain stores information on the patterns for words and letters in semantic networks scattered throughout, so there is no one area that stores it all. What this beam does is essentially scan and identify the areas where particular patterns are stored, and switch off the neurons connected to that area using electrical impulses so that the information cannot be retrieved from your long term memory. If all else failed, the beam could also switch those neurons back on, reversing the damage."

Having only taken a freshman course of psychology in college, Roxanne struggled to remember what she learned about cognitive processes. She had an idea of what the former villain was talking about, but one part especially caught her interest. "Wait, what did you say? Did you say that you could identify where information is stored? And just… make it so that someone couldn't remember it?"

Megamind smiled. "You could put it that way. I spent a considerable amount of time mapping the human brain." He waved his hands in a nonchalant manner as if it were no big deal.

"So you could use the beam for practically anything in your head, like memories of events?" Excitement tinged his wife's voice.

"Yes, if I so chose."

The chair Roxanne was sitting on toppled and hit the floor with a clang when she stood abruptly. "Do you realize what this means?" she exclaimed.

It was at this time that Minion burst back into the workshop, skidding to a halt. He had hurried his pace when he heard the loud noise. There was a large metal box in his arms and he wore an expression of bewilderment on his piscine face. "What did I miss?"

Megamind shared Minion's look of puzzlement. "What _does _this mean, Rox?"

The cogs in the reporter's head were turning. "Well, what if instead of switching off memories in healthy brains, why don't you use the beam to switch _on _memories in people who have damaged brains? Megs, what's to say you can't _heal_ people?"

She hadn't even finished speaking when Megamind jumped to his feet, putting two and two together. "Of course! It wouldn't be too difficult." He envisioned a new blueprint, just itching to write it down. "All I would have to do is realign it so that when it scans for pathways, it uses the same electrical impulses to create and fortify new neural pathways so that way the brain works around the damaged areas of the brain and reestablishes the link to long term memory!" He let out a loud laugh, holding a fist up triumphantly. "Another evil invention that I can now use for good!"

Roxanne blinked and found herself caught up by the waist and receiving kisses on her neck from the jubilant hero. After surprise wore off, she leaned into him, enjoying how her skin formed goosebumps in the places his lips just left. But when the enthusiasm of his attentions increased, lips descending ever lower, she looked over and noticed Minion in the corner of her vision. He was arbitrarily cleaning some computer screens, desperately trying to avert his gaze and pretend to be enthralled with something in the opposite direction. She piped up a little reluctantly, putting a stop to Megamind's frenzy. "Save that for later," she murmured, dragging her fingertips across the back of his neck.

The sensation caused the blue man to jerk, and he suddenly became aware of their audience. He toned it down, and settled with cupping her cheek. "My brilliant wife," he said warmly. There was silence for a minute before he finally clapped his hands, rubbing them together. "Minion! We're going to have to put the spring cleaning on hold. I've got some reverse engineering to do, and who _knows _how much free time I have before the next day that requires my saving!"

"Yes, sir!" The gorilla suit was already moving through the room, clearing up the boxes. "Should I bring out the old neural mappers, too? I have them in a crate somewhere…"

"Great idea. I'm going to also need a lot more string." A pencil had materialized, and Megamind was already hard at work sketching out a large diagram.

Leaving the two boys to tackle their new project, Roxanne headed back to the kitchen. Knowing her husband, he might not break out of this brainstorm anytime soon, so she had to be prepared with lots of fresh coffee on hand.

-m- -M- -m-

_Note: If anyone is curious, Look up MoonPies on google. They are nostalgic deliciousness._


	3. Chapter 3

Mind Over Matter, Chapter 3

By: Abby

Chapter Rating: G

Author's Notes: Sorry for the delay in the update. I'm getting near the end of my university courses and grades ended up taking precedent over my fic. Sorry, Megamind! To all of my readers, thank you for being patient, and as always, please drop me some reviews so I know what you all think. Thanks and enjoy!

M m M

Consciousness came slowly. Aware that he was cold, he sleepily scooted closer to the center of the bed, seeking out the warmth of the body next to him. But the body was not there.

In the sleepy recesses of his mind, a scenario presented itself to him, teasing him with the possibility that Roxanne had abandoned him in the middle of the night. That thought and the subsequent panic that resulted caused Megamind to sit upright, seeing with open eyes that his wife was indeed not in the room. He shook his head, ridding himself of the self-effacing thoughts that filled him with needless fear. Now fully awake, he was able to convince himself there was probably nothing to worry about. He swung himself around and set his feet on the floor, setting out to find and check on his errant lady.

After padding around the "house" and not finding her in any of those rooms, he expanded his search to the rest of the warehouse. Megamind crossed his arms and regretted not having grabbed a robe on his way out of the bedroom. He made a mental note to tell Minion in the morning that it was no longer necessary to keep the lair "cold and damp." To be honest, it wasn't really the way he liked it, anyway. Actually, given his high metabolism and low body fat content, he struggled to maintain his own body heat at the best of times. But it reminded him of his days in prison as a child, and for a while the atmosphere of it was a comfort to him, in the same way a blankie or teddy bear would comfort those of a more normal upbringing.

A noise caught his attention, and he wasn't sure if was a cough or a sob, but it was definitely Roxanne. It led him in the direction of his workshop. As he came closer, his footsteps hardly making a sound, he cleared his throat to announce his presence. There was nothing quite as scary as being surprised in the dark. Roxanne's head popped up, her back to her husband, and Megamind saw her use the heel of her hands to rub her eyes before turning around to face him. He stopped short a couple of feet. "Are you all right?"

She waved off his concern. "I… just had a nightmare. That's all."

"You sure?"

"I'm sure."

The blue alien closed the gap and embraced the woman's small frame, both to comfort and warm her. She had also wandered off without a robe, shivering slightly in shorts and a tank top. "What brings you all the way out here to the workshop?" Megamind asked while rubbing slow circles on Roxanne's lower back.

"Oh." Her voice was muffled from her face being buried in her husband's neck and she pulled away to indicate the main workbench. "I took a walk to clear my head and decided to stop by and check in on your progress with the Memory Gun." The prototype was on the table half-assembled, with fresh notes scribbled on a notepad lying nearby.

Megamind picked up the unfinished gun, tempted to make some adjustments that had occurred to him while half-asleep. It was larger than the De-gun, with several mechanical "arms" attached that served as targeters when activated. At such a crude phase, it still looked a little monstrous, but he was planning to remedy that as soon as the device was complete and functional. "I had to go backwards a couple of steps today," he said, pulling out and fiddling with a micro-chip. "The targeting scanners aren't working properly."

Roxanne leaned over and eyed the targeting scanners. "Is there something wrong mechanically?" Perhaps she could be of help.

"No, no, I must have mistyped a coordinate when programming them." He set the micro-chip in a tray, intending to plug it into the computer mainframe the next morning to check his lines of code. "Earlier today when you were at work, I had a Mr. Tamland over so I could test out a certain network of neural pathways…"

Realizing what Megamind just said, his wife blinked. "Wait… you're meaning to tell me that you haven't even gotten this thing programmed properly and you're already using human test subjects?" Her tone was less than calm.

His response was to roll his unearthly green eyes. "He _signed _a _waiver_…" He said in exasperation, then gestured to his alien form. "It's not like I could have tested it on myself."

There was silence for a couple of seconds while they engaged in a half-hearted staring contest. Finally, Megamind shrugged his shoulders and broke the silence. "Anyways," he said, picking up where he left off, "since the targeting scanners were misaligned, it isolated the wrong neural pathway and strengthened a semantic pathway to the point of becoming extremely amplified. What was once a trivial object to Mr. Tamland was suddenly the most significant thing in his _entire_ life. He sat there blubbering about how he loved his desk lamp for nearly an hour before I was able isolate the pathway and return it to normal."

Roxanne had an urge to laugh at the scenario that was running through her head, but she tried to keep a straight face to underline how serious testing on humans was. Only half succeeding, the corners of her mouth twitched. "Well, I'm sure you'll sort everything out."

Her husband appreciated the encouragement. "Tomorrow I'm going to go through all of my coordinates and double check them against my initial scans. If Mr. Tamland…"

"…who is going to take a little break from your testing until you've moved into the final stages…"

Megamind opened his mouth to contest, but realized he really didn't have a decent argument against _anything _Roxanne put her foot down about. Perhaps he had been a little hasty with the trial applications. It probably wouldn't look good for Metro City's hero to play mad scientist with random citizens. Besides, Roxanne was currently drumming her fingers across the top of her crossed arms, standing with her weight resting on one hip. She meant business. _Man, she is so cute when she's bossy_. "Yes, dear," Megamind surrendered, smiling at her fondly, setting aside his previous train of thought.

"Thank you."

Megamind opened his arms invitingly and Roxanne folded herself into him, glad for the warmth. A blue hand came up and ran its slender fingers through her hair. "Why don't we head back to bed?" came his baritone voice.

Taking a deep breath, inhaling the scent of him trapped in his t-shirt, she slowly nodded. She reached up and cupped his face, leaning over to plant a kiss on his cheek. "I love you," she said quietly, her eyes barely inches from his. She seemed very solemn and sincere.

"I love you, too," her husband assured her, a little confused by the change in tone. He remembered the sounds that led him back to the workshop in the first place, so he asked her a second time. "Are you sure you are okay?" He didn't want to sound too worried or pressure her if it was something she wasn't ready to talk about.

Roxanne was lost in thought for a few seconds, her gaze faraway. Megamind waited patiently, focusing on the way the shafts of moonlight from the skylight high above them fell across her form. Finally, she blinked and was back in the present, smiling softly. "I'm fine. Really."

Taking his lover at her word, he reached down and took her hand, leading the couple out of the workshop and back to the repose and security of their bed. They both had a long day ahead of them tomorrow, and Megamind wanted to make sure that he had enough time to spend with his wife before the busyness of their schedules intruded. He wasn't sure what was on her mind, but was determined to be her rock and solace until Roxanne was ready to confide in him.


	4. Chapter 4

Mind Over Matter, Chapter 4

By Abby

Chapter Rating: G

o m o M o m o

The Metro City State Psychiatric Hospital was bright and cheery enough, its hallways decorated with paintings and drawings made by the patients enclosed there, but it wasn't quite sufficient to erase the stiffness and sterility that accompanied a hospital atmosphere. The click of Roxanne's heels and the soft thump of Megamind's baby seal leather boots interrupted the quiet as they followed the resident doctor down the corridor.

Dr. Michael Hannegan had worked at this facility for 24 years, and despite the stresses that challenged him (and his hairline), he poured his life into his work and enjoyed it immensely. He was currently the head doctor of the Traumatic Brain Injury ward, and when he heard what Megamind had been working on, he gladly opened the doors to him. Pausing outside the entrance that separated the ward from the rest of the hospital, Dr. Hannegan turned back to his two guests. "Thank you so much for coming at such an odd hour, Mr. Megamind, Mrs…" he stumbled when he came to addressing Roxanne. "Erm, Mrs. Megamind." he said. "I thought it best you come during the rest hours so that way you didn't cause such a fuss. This way you can inspect our patients individually."

Roxanne responded first, using her professional demeanor. "No, Thank _you_ for being willing to see us, doctor. Not too many hospitals are willing to let us work with their patients."

Dr. Hannegan adjusted his glasses. "Well, I have to admit that your proposal is… unconventional. But I work with many patients here with permanent memory loss and limited cognitive function. Patients in our current rehabilitation program show minor improvements at _best_. I am always willing to hear out any ideas for alternative therapies."

Megamind gazed at the doctor and wished silently that he had worn his boots with a bit of height on them. Dr. Hannegan was at least six foot tall, and it irritated him that he had to look up to make eye contact. He pulled back his shoulders and held himself in as manly manner as possible. "If I'm successful, doctor, then I'm afraid you may have to find a new job soon…_Uff." _The air was knocked out of Megamind as Roxanne elbowed him hard in the ribs. "Pardon me, doctor. My wife just kindly reminded me of my manners. I _mean_, I am looking forward to working with you to help bring relief to your patients." He checked to see if Dr. Hannegan was offended, but the taller man seemed not to notice, apparently too eager to see Megamind's new treatment. The alien looked over at his wife and knew he was going to get an earful about this when they got back home to the lair. Hospitals always did put him on the defensive. He took a deep breath and went back to business. "There is one patient that caught my eye when I was looking through files you sent me. A Mr. John Smith, room 4E?"

Dr. Hannegan nodded, opening the door and leading the way. "Yes, he's definitely an interesting case. He's one of our oldest patients, too. He was admitted to our ward almost twenty years ago with almost no record. They found him face-down in a ditch a few miles out of town near one of the rest stops on the main highway. Apparently received a blow to the head by some blunt object and he wandered aimlessly until he passed out from blood loss. They couldn't find anyone to identify him at the rest stop, and fingerprints didn't pull up any records. When no family came to claim him, he was moved permanently to our ward." The three of them stopped outside the door to 4E, and Megamind could see the foot of a bed through the glass window. The Doctor continued. "You probably already read the entire file, so you know he sustained heavy damage to the cortex and frontal lobe. He suffered permanent memory loss and aphasia, and since he also has difficulty retaining new information, he has been unresponsive to most treatments. He has some behavioral issues, as well, which is common with trauma to the frontal lobe." He pulled out a chart that was stored in a clear file on the wall and handed it to Megamind, who flipped through it with interest.

Feeling that he had all the information he needed, the hero pointed to the door eagerly. "May we go in to see him?" He bounced on the balls of his feet.

Dr. Hannegan opened the door and waved the couple forward. "By all means. If you like, I can wait outside if you need to examine him privately. I'm sure you can manage by yourself. If you need me, I'll be at the nurse's station." With that, he took his leave.

Megamind slipped the chart back into its holder, seeking out Roxanne's hand and guiding her into the patient's room. The door closed behind them with a soft _click_. Roxanne could hear a radio playing quietly from the corner of the room obscured by a green curtain, making out the twang of a country western song. The lighting was subdued, and when Megamind and Roxanne cleared the curtain, they could see that it was being produced by a small table lamp. John Smith was sitting upright in bed, and he blinked slowly when they came into his vision.

He had to have been in his mid-forties by the appearance of the smattering of grey hairs on his otherwise blond head. His skin was almost the same color, pale and sallow from rarely leaving the confines of the hospital ward. Roxanne couldn't pick out anything remarkable about the man's face, either, other than his watery blue eyes that were deep-set and exceptionally piercing. In the meantime, however, Megamind was already issuing a hum of satisfaction and reaching into the bag the he had slung over his shoulder to pull out a piece of equipment. He was already adjusting it and approaching Mr. Smith when Roxanne piped up. "Megs, what is that? What are you doing?"

Megamind flipped a couple of switches, not looking up from his work. "It's a portable sonic imaging scanner. I wanted to scan himself myself before I made a decision."

"Shouldn't you at least introduce yourself first before you subject him to tests?"

Her husband looked over at her and registered her concerned look. "There's really no need, Roxanne. He has severely limited cognitive ability. He probably won't remember us being here a few seconds after we leave." He didn't seem to completely understand her need for formalities in this situation, but Roxanne held steady. She didn't feel comfortable with forgoing common courtesy. Megamind took in her facial expression and acquiesced, leaning over to make eye contact with the patient. "Mr. Smith? My name is Megamind. Don't be alarmed. I'm only going to take a few scans of your head. It won't hurt, but it may make your ears ring a bit."

He lifted up the boxy contraption and held it up to Smith's temple, a high-pitched frequency filling the room. Roxanne backed up a few feet, covering her ears. Megamind readjusted the machine and scanned again, repeating the procedure two more times. When he was finished, he watched as the scans were sent back wirelessly back to the Lair. The results were processed and sent back, and the alien grew increasingly excited as he saw the data that scrolled across the screen. "This is brilliant! Perfect!" He set the scanner on the foot of the bed and rushed over to Roxanne to crush her in a quick hug.

Roxanne smiled at his exuberance. "So you can heal him?"

Megamind nodded. "Yes, I can heal him! And just think, this man has no identity and hasn't been able to speak for twenty years. When his brain function and his memory are restored, we'll be able to reunite him with his family!" The loss of his own family and people still stung in the recesses of his soul, and if there was any way that he could help anyone else with that pain, Megamind was happy to do it. It shone through the exhilaration in his voice.

The wheels in Roxanne's head were already turning. "Imagine that. That would make an excellent story…" She started working on the details when she remembered herself and returned her attention to the blue face in front of her. "So this is it? After six months of working on this, are you sure that you're ready for this?"

Megamind went through his mental checklist, not finding any metaphorical stones that he left unturned. He had been dreaming of this final stage for months, and all of his hard work was coming to fruition. And he had Roxanne and her idea to thank for it. He responded to her question by leaning forward and kissing her lightly on the lips. "I'm ready as I'll ever be."


	5. Chapter 5

_Mind Over Matter_

_Chapter 5_

_Author's Notes: I am so very sorry for the delay, but certain chapters can be hard to write, and I was distracted by my graduation. I'm hoping to speed up the pace from here on out, and if I don't, feel free to badger me! I hope you enjoy, and I appreciate any reviews_

_ ooOooOooOoo_

After working for several weeks with the hospital and various media outlets, everything had been arranged to Roxanne's liking for the revealing of Megamind's Memory Gun. Naturally, she alone had exclusive reporting rights (one of the benefits of having Metro City's hero as a husband), but several other television stations were there with cameras and newspaper reporters milled around with cups of coffee, waiting for the big announcement to take place in the main conference room of the Metro City State Psychiatric Hospital. The blue alien and his wife, however, were still preparing in a side room, which is why the conspicuously large man simply ignored the fact that the door was locked and let himself in.

Hearing the crunch of the doorframe being warped, Megamind's instincts kicked in and he simultaneously moved in front of Roxanne and reached for the De-gun in his holster. However, upon seeing who the visitor was, he relaxed immediately.

"Wayne!" The couple exclaimed.

The ex-hero was dressed in street clothes, but nothing could hide his supernatural physique. Megamind smirked, knowing exactly what it was like to stick out like a sore thumb. He couldn't blame the man for trying to blend in. "You could have just knocked, but I suppose you just _had _to make some kind of dramatic entrance, hmm?" The teasing was only half-hearted.

Wayne did his best to put the door back in working order and closed it. "Sorry to startle you guys. I just wanted to wish you luck before the big event. Can't stick around once the cameras are rolling, you know, because of obvious reasons." He gestured at his person.

Megamind blinked. "No, of course not. You wouldn't want to divert the attention away from _me_, now would you?" The bravado didn't quite ring true. In an effort to accommodate the ex-hero's wishes, Megamind had only divulged Metroman's living status to higher authorities, a necessary step in order to assure that the former villain would be placed in the government's good graces. The unsuspecting public, however, was still under the assumption that Metroman had been destroyed, much to Megamind and Roxanne's chagrin, but they both knew that if the former hero were to reappear, the demand to have him reinstate his role as the city's protector would be overwhelming. Wayne wouldn't have a moment's peace.

Roxanne came around Megamind to address the larger man. "Thanks for being here, Wayne. You know it means a lot to us to have your support." She reached down to grasp her husband's hand, who nodded in agreement.

"No problem. I'm so proud of you two." Wayne's smile was genuine, conveying all the gratitude he had for the couple who had risen to the occasion in the face of his own shortcomings. "Say, little buddy," he added, addressing Megamind. "It's about time that we had that beer. Do you want to aim for some time later this week?"

Megamind's first instinct was to spit out a retort in response to Wayne's use of 'little buddy,' but it stuck in his throat like a lump. He didn't have it in him to keep up the sarcastic banter when his ex-rival was being nothing but genial. It was at times like this that he just didn't know what to do. Ever since that fateful day when he stepped forward to fill Metroman's shoes, Megamind had attempted to be friendly with his childhood nemesis. Friendly, not _friends_. With a history such as theirs, how could Wayne expect anything more? Yet here he was, offering yet again the hand of friendship. Somehow Wayne knew that Megamind would need to worn down, knew that someday Megamind would accept his offered hand. But it was not today. "We'll see," was the reply after a short pause.

A knock came at the door and the muffled voice of Roxanne's cameraman was heard "We have ten minutes, Megamind, sir."

"That's my cue to take off, then, you two." Wayne pointed a thumb back in the direction he came. "Give me a call if you need anything."

Roxanne nodded, smiling. "Thanks."

Wayne opened the door, and in the space of a blink, he was gone, employing his super speed to avoid the eyes of the growing crowd.

Roxanne turned back to her husband, who was fidgeting with his gloves, obviously nervous. She helped him straighten the collar of his cape. "Don't tell me that you suddenly have stage fright, Megs." He had never minded an audience before, and in fact encouraged their participation during his more Vaudevillian world domination attempts.

Megamind bit his lip, a little embarrassed by his visible anxiety. "This is different."

Roxanne didn't need explaining to understand what he meant. It was easy enough to put on the mask of a villain or a hero. It was easy to perform heroic feats when adrenaline was pumping and there was no time to think of anything else save the next action. This, however, was a project of personal significance, and Roxanne knew that Megamind's image was on the line if it didn't prove to be successful. She leaned forward and embraced him, resting her cheek against his. "I'm proud of you no matter what, you know."

His reply was soft, but full of total assurance in what she said. "I know." There was a quiet moment where they both just stood there, enjoying each other's closeness. Then, out of the blue, he added, "What do you think of Clarence?"

Roxanne pulled back, revealing the disgusted expression on her face. "What, are you _trying_ to pick out unattractive names on purpose?" He simply waggled his eyebrows at her, so she lightly punched him in the arm in faux retaliation. "Now, go out there and knock 'em dead… but not literally."

_ ooOooOooOoo_

"And... Five, Four," The cameraman finished the countdown with his fingers and pointed to Roxanne, poised with her news-worthy smile.

"This is Roxanne Ritchie, and we are here live at the Metro City State Psychiatric Hospital where today history will be made. Before our very eyes our city's defender, Megamind, will reveal new technology that holds the promise to heal those suffering from traumatic brain damage." The camera panned out to reveal a large crowd, anxiously awaiting the demonstration. From behind a makeshift curtain, the hero of the hour emerged. Megamind bowed humbly to the audience, somehow acknowledging that that day was one where his narcissism was unnecessary, that the device under the sheet spoke for itself.

"Ladies and gentlemen of Metro City, I thank you for being here on this momentous occasion." Megamind looked down at the podium where his speech was written down for him on neatly printed cards. He picked them up, flipped through them idly, then promptly tossed them over his shoulder. The papers fluttered to the ground and the reporters started scribbling wildly on their notepads. "Can I be frank with you?" Megamind leaned languidly over his podium, addressing the people directly below him as if on a personal basis. "Two years… Two years ago, if you would have told me that I would be the hero of Metro City, that I would be married to the hottest reporter on the planet," he motioned over to Roxanne, smirking at the fact that she was now blushing madly, "that the inventions that I intended for evil could be redeemed and used for _good?_ Well, I would have said that you were crazy with a capital T!"

Everyone expected for him to continue, but instead they were left hanging in the wake of his own personal contemplation for a long minute.

"Anyway!" The hero blinked and was back on track. "I now present to you the Illiteracy Beam, now reborn! Behold, the Memory Gun!" The sheet was removed and the invention they were all there to see was revealed. "This Memory Gun was designed both to identify neural pathways that were no longer functioning and to create new pathways that bypass the nonfunctional ones. It can rewire the brain and heal what was damaged. In short, it can restore memories and essential brain function."

There were an amount of gasps from the crowd, and immediately hands shot up from eager reporters with burning questions. But Megamind waved them away. "Now, now, we don't need to head into questions quite yet. We have plenty of time for that. Right now, I would like to bring out a very special patient from this hospital who will be our lucky first subject to receive treatment. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to John Smith."

A side door opened and the man in question was ushered into the room by several psychiatric nurses. He blinked at the bright light. His gait was stilted, and it took some assistance for him to ascend the two steps to the stage, settling in the chair that was center opposite of the gun's barrel. Even as his wrists were secured to the arms of his seat, no fear or comprehension seemed to settle on the man's bleak features.

Megamind switched on the gun, and a high-pitched hum vibrated through the entire room. "I am just going to perform a preliminary scan, displaying the results on this screen just above the stage." A blue light emanated from the barrel of the gun, and a grid illuminated on John Smith's skull. A moment later a full-resolution scan of his brain appeared for the audience to see. Megamind seemed satisfied with the results. "As you may have noticed," he said as an extendable pointer materialized in his hand. "I've already improved upon the modern scanning methods. This scan isolates every single neuron branch and displays in real-time its impulse receptivity. This is something that is already achievable with the machinery that is currently used, and I plan to distribute the upgrade schematics to hospitals all over the world within the next week."

The crowd broke into applause, and for a moment Roxanne was certain that her husband's humility would crack. She could see a smirk forming on the corners of his mouth, but he quickly mastered himself and put a hand up to quiet the questions being thrown in his direction. "I would like to direct your attention to the scan, if you please." He turned his back to the crowd and used his pointer to indicate a scan section of the patient's brain. "The dark areas that you see are areas where no electrical impulses are being received. In shorter terms, these areas are damaged. This brain damage has severely debilitated John Smith. Not only has he suffered total memory loss, but he has lost his ability to speak."

The pointer was tucked away and Megamind spun back around, letting his cape swirl dramatically. He quickly stepped back to the gun, making some adjustments. Roxanne directed her cameraman to zoom in, knowing that the moment was at hand.

Without further ado, the alien flicked the last switch with a flourish and pulled the trigger. The Memory Gun let out a low drone and the directed blue light burst forth and enveloped the secured patient. The beam was brief, but blinding. By the time everyone's eyes had adjusted, the procedure was complete, and the scan that was still populating the screen was blinking with new activity. It was obvious to all that pathways that were once dull were now pulsing, and areas of the brain that were once dead started to glow with electrical activity. Then the scan completed its cycle and the gun powered down. All eyes were on John Smith.

Everyone, including Megamind, waited with bated breath as Dr. Hannegan approached the subject. He loosed the restraints and checked for any physical damage. Seeing none, the doctor stepped in front of the man's line of vision and was taken aback when the pale eyes locked on his, no longer unfocused but sharp and discerning. "I am Doctor Hannegan." He extended a hand out to show that he meant no harm. "Do you know who you are?"

The patient looked around the room, taking in the reporters, Roxanne clutching her microphone, and a remarkable blue man wearing probably the most ridiculous costume he had ever seen, and directed his gaze back to the doctor. "My name is Damian." The voice was scratchy with disuse.

The reporters erupted with cheers, and Megamind himself was gob-smacked, as surprised as anyone that he was successful at his first attempt. Roxanne abandoned her post and ran up onto the stage to plant a kiss on the side of her husband's cheek, throwing her arms around his neck and breaking his trance.

The clamor was so loud that hardly anyone noticed the question that Damian directed at Dr. Hannegan.

"Could you tell me where I am?"


End file.
